Baldwin County Booking Release Records

Baldwin County booking releases are managed through the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office in Milledgeville, Georgia. Milledgeville served as the state capital for decades and remains the center of government for Baldwin County. The sheriff's office runs the county jail and keeps track of every booking and release that takes place. Central Georgia residents who need to look up an inmate or check on a release can contact the sheriff's office directly. The jail operates around the clock, and records staff are available to help with booking inquiries during business hours.

Baldwin County Sheriff and Booking Releases

The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office handles all jail operations in the county. Their main office is located at 121 North Wilkinson Street in Milledgeville. The phone number is (478) 445-4891. The sheriff keeps records of every person booked into and released from the Baldwin County Jail, as required by state law.

O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7 requires the sheriff to maintain a record of each inmate. This includes their name, the date they came in, what they were charged with, and when they left. Baldwin County stores this data in its jail management system. The records go back many years and are available for public review under most circumstances. Staff at the jail can look up records by name or booking number when you contact them.

Baldwin County also has a state prison facility within its borders. That is a separate operation run by the Georgia Department of Corrections. If you are looking for someone in state custody rather than the county jail, you will need to search the state system instead of contacting the Baldwin County Sheriff.

Note: Baldwin County processes bookings from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Milledgeville Police Department and Georgia College campus police.

How to Search Baldwin County Booking Releases

To find a booking release record in Baldwin County, start by contacting the sheriff's office. Call (478) 445-4891 and ask for the jail division. Give them the person's name and any other details you have. They can check the system and tell you the booking status, charges, and whether the person has been released. This works for recent bookings and many older records.

Baldwin County may offer limited online inmate information through the sheriff's website or third-party jail roster sites. Check the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office website for any current tools they provide. Keep in mind that online systems may only show people who are currently in custody and not those who have already been released. For a complete picture of past booking releases, a direct request to the sheriff's office is more reliable.

You can also visit the office in person at the Milledgeville courthouse. Bring the person's full name and date of birth if you have it. The staff can pull up the record while you wait in most cases. For certified copies or large requests, they may ask you to submit a formal open records request.

The VINE victim notification system lets you track inmates in Baldwin County and across Georgia.

VINE sends automatic alerts by phone or email when an inmate's status changes, which is useful for staying updated on Baldwin County booking releases.

Baldwin County Open Records for Booking Releases

If you need a formal copy of a booking release record, Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives you the legal right to request it. Send a written request to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. Include the full name of the person, any known dates, and specify that you want booking release records. The county must respond within three business days of getting your request.

Copies run $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of staff time to locate records is free under state law. After that, they can charge a reasonable rate for additional search time. Most single-record requests cost very little. If you are asking for records on multiple people or a range of dates, the cost could be higher depending on how much work is involved.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, you can send your request by mail, hand-deliver it, or ask if the office takes it by email. Baldwin County's open records coordinator will work with you to make sure you get the documents you need. They must tell you within three days what to expect.

Note: If you are requesting records related to a juvenile, additional restrictions may apply under Georgia law.

What Baldwin County Records Include

A typical booking release record from Baldwin County includes the inmate's full legal name, date of birth, height, weight, and physical features. It lists all charges filed at the time of booking and the agency that made the arrest. The booking date and time are always part of the record. If a bond was set, that amount shows up too. When the person leaves custody, the release date, time, and reason for release are all noted.

Booking photos may or may not be included in the record you get. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 deals with the release of booking photographs in Georgia. Baldwin County follows these rules. Some exemptions exist under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 that can limit what the county shares. Records tied to active investigations, juvenile cases, and certain medical data are among the exempt categories. The county must cite the specific exemption if they hold back any part of a record.

Statewide Booking Release Resources for Baldwin County

When you need records beyond what Baldwin County holds, several state tools can help. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search lets you look up anyone in the state prison system. This is relevant for Baldwin County because the county is home to several state correctional facilities. Someone booked locally who receives a state sentence will appear in this database.

The GCIC system maintained by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation holds about 4 million criminal history records statewide. You cannot search it directly, but the data feeds into background check processes and law enforcement tools. For open records requests at the state level, use the GDC Open Records portal or the GBI Open Records portal. Both handle requests for documents that may relate to people who passed through Baldwin County's jail before moving into the state system.

Nearby Counties

Baldwin County is surrounded by several counties in central Georgia. Each has its own sheriff's office and jail. If the booking you are looking for was not in Baldwin County, one of these neighbors may have the record.